Forming-die assembly for continuous-casting apparatus



CASTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheetl l Filed Oot. 27, 1937 D. K. CRAMPTON ET AL FORMINGDIE ASSEMBLY FOR CONTINUOUS Oct. 24, 1939.

Oct. 24,1939. D. K. CRAMPTON ET A1. 2,176,991

FORMING-DIE ASSEMBLY FOR CONTINUOUS-CASTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 27, 1957 2 Sheets-SheetI 2 Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FonMrNG-DIE ASSEMBLY Fon coN'rmU- oUs-CAs'rlNG APPARATUS Application October 27, 1937, Serial No. 171,188 4 Claims. (Cl. 2Z-5'1.2).

ratus wherein the effective cooling of the forming-die is assured to thus minimize damage to lo the said die and increase the speed of casting.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superior forming-die and coolingchamber assembly for continuous-casting apparatus, wherein intimate heat-conducting engagement between the two said features of the assembly is assured.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superior forming-die and coolingchamber assembly for continuous-casting appa- 2 ratus, wherein the draft imposed upon the forming-die by the withdrawal of the rod-like cast metal will automatically insure the intimate thermal engagement ofthe said forming-die with its complemental cooling-chamber.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art and which are not claimed in a separate application.

In the accompanying drawings,v in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a broken View mainly in vertical central section of an apparatus forcontinuously casting metal and embodying the forming-die assembly of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the cooling-chamber unit;

Fig. 4 is a viewl in side elevation of the forming-die; and

Fig. 5 is a view looking toward the lower end of the said forming-die.

The particular continuous-casting apparatus herein chosen for the purpose of illustrating the present invention includes a cup-shaped container or Crucible, generally designated by the reference character 20, and which may be formed of a wide variety of suitable materials, such for instance as clay-graphite materials commonly used in the manufacture of crucibles and the like.

- The said container or crucible 20 includes a bot- 56 tom-wall 2l and an upstanding annular side-wall 22. The said container 20 may, as shown, rest upon a platform 23 having a vertical clearancepassage 24 extending vertically therethrough in line with the vertical longitudinal axis of the said container. Preferably, the platform 23, just 5 referred to, is formed of a heat-insulating material reinforced and supported.

The bottom-wall 2| of the container or crucible 2li is provided with an axial passage or aperture 25 having a stop-shoulder 26 therein. 10 Fitted into the aperture 25, just referred to, is a retaining-member 21 formed of refractory material and having a stop-shoulder 28 thereon engaging with the stop-shoulder 26 in the said aperture 25, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. The 15 said retaining-member 21 is also formed with an externally-threaded tubular shank 2! which projects below the under-surface of the bottomwall 2| of the container 2U, and slightly into the clearance-passage 24 in the platform 23. 20

Threaded onto the lower portion of the downwardly-projecting externally-threaded shank 23 of the retaining-member 21 is the internallythreaded coupling-sleeve 30 of a cooling-chamber unit, generally designated by the reference 25 character 3|, and which is preferably formed of copper or other high-heat-conducting material. The said cooling-chamber unit includes an inner member 32 provided with an axial downwardlyand-inwardly-tapering seat 33 formed in its in- 3o nei wall 34, and with an upper end-wall 35 and a lower end-wall 35 extending outwardly from the respective opposite ends of the said inner wall 34 in vertically-spaced relationship. The said inner member 32 of the cooling-chamber 35 unit is also provided with a series of horizontally-extending cooling-fins 31 which are preffluid, as will hereinafter appear.

Secured to one side of the outer ring 38 of the cooling-chamber 3|, by means of brazing, silver 50 soldering, or the like, is a water-head 4D having an inlet passage 4l and an outlet passage 42 respectively communicating with an inlet-pipe or tube 43 and an outlet-pipe or tube 44. The cooling-chamber 3| may assume a wide variety 55 v'of forms, and as herein shown, it is provided with a vertically-extending partition 45 which serves to divide the interior of the compartment 39 in such manner as to compel most of the water or other coolant circulating therethrough to ow entirely around the ring-like compartment before discharging to the outlet-passage!! and the tube 44.

By reference to the drawings, it be seen that the retaining-member 21 is formed with a vertical central pasage 46 which is preferably of cylindrical form and which is coaxial with the tapered socket 33 in the cooling-chamber 3| bev l fore referred to.

Extending axially through both the passage 46 in the retaining-member 21 and the socket or seat 33 in the cooling-chamber 3| is a tubular forming-die 41 having a central longitudinal formingor casting-passage 43 and formed of any suitable material which will withstand the heat of the molten copper, brass or other metal, though it has been found that for this purpose a very iine grain graphite is preferable. Substantially the entire upperhalf 49 of the exterior surface of the forming-die 41 is of cylindrical form and snugly iits the similarly-shaped vertical central passage 46 in the retaining-member 21. Substantially the entire lower half SII of the exterior surface of the forming-die 41 is conically contoured or otherwise downwardly and inwardly tapered so as to conform to the surface of the socket or seat r33 in the cooling-chamber 3 I.

Owing to the action of the coolant owing through the interior of the cooling-chamber unit 3| in combination with such auxiliary cooling means as it may be desired to employ, the molten metal 5I from the crucible or container 20 will solidify or freeze as soon as sucient heat has been extracted therefrom and before such molten metal can reach the lower end of the castingpassage 48 and emerge therefrom. For the purpose of illustration, let it be presumed that powerdriven withdrawing-rolls 52-52 are withdrawing the solidified metal in the form of a rod 53 at a speed which will cause the cooling means to eifect the freezing or solidication of the molten metal 5| to take place at about the point 54 in the forming or casting-passage 48.

' As the cast rod 53 is drawn downwardly by the withdrawing-rolls 52-52, the said rod will, owing to its frictional engagement with the inner surfaces of the forming or casting-passage 48 in the forming-die 41, tend to draw the said forming-die downwardly. The downward draft upon the forming-die 41 as just referred to will in turn tend to more iirmly or intimately engage the tapered portion 5I of the said forming-die with the correspondingly-shaped surface of they socket or seat 33 in the cooling-chamber unit 3|.

As will be seen from the foregoing, the downward movement or outward movement of the rod 53 automatically serves to seat the formingdie 41 into intimate thermal engagement with the adjacent surfaces of the cooling-chamber unit 3| so that the utmost eiiiciency of heat-exchange between the said forming-die and the said cooling-chamber unit is assured imder all operating conditions. In this connection it may be explained that even al thousandth of an inch clearance between the outer surface of the formingdie 41 and the inner surfaces of the coolingchamber unit 3| will serve to cut down the removal of heat from the said forming-die and K hence from themetal being solidiiied, and so retard the solidication of the meta-l 1S-to prevent the apparatus from being operated at economical speeds, in order to prevent the catastrophicemergence of molten metal through the lower end of the said forming-die. Any such clearance between the cooling-chamber unit 3| and the forming-die 41 is effectively prevented as before described, by the automatic seating action occasioned -by the withdrawal of the cast rod 53 itself. A

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and

' all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

We claim:

' 1. A forming-die assembly for continuous casting apparatus having a molten-metal container from which molten metal is withdrawn in rodlike form, comprising: a retaining-member immovably connected to the said molten-metal container and having a substantially-untapered axial passage therethrough for the' reception of a portion of a forming-die; a cooling-chamber unit having a compartment therein for the owage of a coolant therethrough, and also having a tapered seat for the reception oi.' a portion of a forming-die; means for connecting the said cooling-chamber unit to the said retaining-member whereby the former is retained in axial alignment with the passage in the said retainingmember; and a tubular forming-die of continuous form in cross-section and having an axial casting-passage extending therethrough, the said forming-die also having a substantiallyuntapered portion for extension into the passage in the said retaining-member and a tapered portion engaged with the tapered seat in the said cooling-chamber unit and shaped to intimately t the said tapered seat.

2. A forming-die assembly for continuous casting apparatus having a molten-metal container from which molten metal is withdrawn in rodlike form, comprising: a retaining-member mounted in a wall of the molten-metal container and having a cylindrically-contoured axial passage therethrough for the reception of a portion of a forming-die; a cooling-chamber unit having complemental inner and outer walls and complemental upper and lower wallsproviding a compartment for the iiowage of a coolant therethrough, the said inner wall being formed with an interior tapered seat for the reception' of a-portion of a forming-die; means for connecting the said cooling-chamber unit to the said retaining-member whereby the said interlor tapered seat in the inner wall of the said vcompartment is retained in coaxial alignment from which molten metal is withdrawn in rodlike form, comprising: a retaining-member having a substantially-untapered axial passage therethrough for the reception of a portion of a forming-die; a cooling-chamber unit having complemental inner and outer walls and complemental upper and lower walls providing a compartment for the flowage of a coolant therethrough, the said inner wall being formed with an interior tapered seat for the reception of a 1 portion of a forming-die, and with verticallyspaced horizontal heat-radiating ns projecting therefrom into the said compartment; a radial partition extending into the said compartment from the outer wall thereof into close proximity to the inner wall of the said compartment and intersecting the said vertically-spaced coolingiins, the said compartment being provided with inlet and outlet openings for a coolant in the outer wall thereof and on opposite sides of the said partition to provide vertically-spaced peripheral channels for the coolant through the said cooling-chamber unit; means for connecting the said cooling-chamber unit in fixed relation to the said retaining-member whereby the said inner wall of the cooling-chamber and the interiortapered seat formed therein are retained in coaxial relation to the said axial passage through the retaining-member; and a tubular forming-die of continuous form in cross-section and having an axial passage extending therethrough, the said forming-die also having an exterior substantially-untapered portion for extension within the passage in the said retainingmember, and a tapered exterior portion engaged with the tapered seat in the inner wall of the said cooling-chamber unit'and shaped to intimately t the said tapered seat.

4. A forming-die assembly for continuous casting apparatus having a molten-metal container from which molten metal is withdrawn in rodlike form, comprising: a retaining-member having a substantially-cylindrical axial passage therethrough for the reception of a portion of a forming-die; a cooling-chamber unit having complemental inner and outer walls and complemental upper and lower walls providing a compartment for the flowage of a coolant therethrough, the said inner wall being formed with an interior conically-contoured seat for the reception of a portion of a forming-die; means for connecting the said cooling-chamber unit to the said retaining-member with the said compartment of the former in coaxial arrangement with the said axial passage through the latter; a radial partition extending into the said compartment from the outer wall thereof and between the upper and lower walls of the said compartment into close proximity to the said inner wall of the compartment, the said outer wall of the compartment being provided with inlet and outlet openings for coolant arranged on opposite sides of the said radial partition; and a tubular forming die of continuous form in cross-section and having an axial passage extending therethrough, the said forming-die also having an exterior cylindrically-contoured portion for extension within the substantially-cylindrical passage in the said retaining-member, and a conically-contoured exterior portion engaged with the conically-contoured seat in the inner Wall of the said cooling-chamber unit and shaped to intimately t the said conically-contoured seat.

DONALD K. CRAMPTON. CLARENCE THULDT. 

